Category: FOOTBALL

What might have been

Defending state champ Woodbury scores four first-quarter touchdowns, sends Penns Grove to third straight loss

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODBURY – Coaches will tell you no one single play in a game as one-sided as Saturday’s Penns Grove-Woodbury matchup is any more important than another, but you still have to wonder how things might have changed had Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson brought down that interception in the end zone in the first quarter instead of having it slip through his hands.

Woodbury 42,
Penns Grove 6
NEXT: at Salem,
Saturday, noon

The game was still scoreless when the heavily favored Thundering Herd lined up at the 6 after being pushed off the 1 by a penalty. Goodson, a sophomore in his first year of football, got perfect position between Herd quarterback Donta Viccharelli and the receiver. He had his left hand on the ball, but couldn’t to bring in and it fell harmlessly incomplete.

With a new life, the Herd scored on the next play on AJ Reagan’s 6-yard touchdown run and added three more touchdowns in the 47-minute quarter on the way to a 42-6 victory.

In the game of what-ifs, had Goodson made the pick, perhaps the early momentum would have swung towards the Red Devils (0-3), who were needing something good come their way, and maybe put some doubt in the minds of the defending state champions for allowing a team to hang around.

“I thought that, too,” Goodson agreed. “I was so close, but unfortunately I dropped it.”

There’s no blame there, just a missed opportunity. After Reagan ran it in for the first touchdown of the game, the Thundering Herd (2-0) stopped the Red Devils’ offense on a pair of three-and-outs and a first-snap fumble and converted all three into touchdowns.

Reagan scored on a 62-yard run, Viccharelli ran in from 18 yards out and then hit Jayden Johnson with a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 26-0 lead. And there were still more than two minutes left in the quarter.

“When you’re playing a team that good, you can’t miss any opportunities,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “Those are the kinds of plays you have to make if you’re going to upset somebody, that’s for sure, and there’s no doubt about it they’re a big favorite.”

Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan wouldn’t call the missed pick a game-changer, but he agreed the Herd caught a break.

“That’s the thing about life,” he said. “As you’re going through these seasons you look back on certain points and you do see where good fortune goes in your favor and in that moment it did

“When you’re playing in a football game early on both teams believe so if you give anybody the opportunity to stay in the football game you never know what the outcome will be. For us to be able to capitalize on that allowed us to be able to build on the momentum moving forward in the game.”

AJ Reagan rushed for 105 yards in that big first quarter and had 149 yards in the game. Viccharelli threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns – two to Marquis Taylor – and accounted for four touchdowns altogether.

On the two scoring throws to Taylor, the receiver lunged over a defensive back in the end zone to pull down one and the other he caught in stride over the middle. Viccharelli had a fourth touchdown pass wiped out by a penalty in the fourth quarter.

“It was great for us to get out to a fast start,” Anthony Reagan said. “We wanted to be better than what we were last week, so for us to be able to come out and really execute what we wanted to do early on was a great sign for us.”

Penns Grove nearly doubled its offense in the second half that was played with a running clock and went faster than the first quarter. The Red Devils got most of their yards on a 60-yard Bryce Wright run that opened the half and freshman KaRon Ceaser’s 55-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. 

The Red Devils look to end their losing streak next week at Salem. Even though both teams are winless, but because the teams play in the tough WJFL Diamond Division Emel likens the game to a playoff qualifier. Penns Grove opened last season 1-6 and still made the playoffs even though it didn’t win in a game in the division.

“We’ve just got to go win games,” Emel said. “We play a tough enough schedule. The winner of next week’s game is getting in. We’re not looking for anything else but the game next week.”

Woodbury 42, Penns Grove 6

PG (6)WOOD (42)
81st Downs14
20-152Rushes-yds23-178
6-12-1Passes10-13-0
60Passing yards217
3-2Fumbles-lost1-0
2-39.5Punts-avg1-33.0
5-40Penalties-yds8-63
Penns Grove (0-3)0006 –6
Woodbury (2-0)26880 –42

Scoring plays
W – AJ Reagan 6 run (run failed), 9:40 1Q
W – AJ Reagan 62 run (pass failed), 6:55 1Q
W – Donta Viccharelli 18 run (pass failed), 3:42 1Q
W – Jayden Johnson 12 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Jayden Johnson pass from Donta Viccharelli), 2:20 1Q
W – Marquis Taylor 38 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Doran Dunbar from Donta Viccharelli), 3:33 2Q
W – Marquis Taylor 61 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Donta Viccharelli run), 1:40 3Q
PG – KaRon Ceaser 55 run (kick failed), 10:42 4Q

Top photo: Woodbury quarterback Donta Viccharelli (L) and running back A.J. Reagan (C) had big games against Penns Grove. (Photo by Jada Sayers. Jada’s photos on South Jersey football can be found on her Instagram platform: @flicksbyj4)

Penns Grove running back Bryce Wright (1) breaks through the line looking for yards against Woodbury. Wright had the Red Devils’ biggest gain of the game, a 60-yard burst to open the second half.

Living the dream

Woodstown’s Bump Carter lives a lineman’s dream, returning a fumble for a touchdown in Wolverines’ road win

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PAULSBORO – When Bump Carter saw the football fly into his hands and saw all that green grass in front of him, he thought exactly what you’d expect of a lineman who had the dream of a lifetime laid out in front of him.

“I was just thinking about trying to get in there for a touchdown, and try not to get tackled,” he said. “I tried not to fall over when it fell into me. I couldn’t really believe it at all.”

Woodstown 28,
Paulsboro 7
NEXT: at Deptford,
Friday, 6 p.m.

The 5-foot-6, 200-pound junior reached lineman nirvana Saturday when he chugged 12 yards with a fumble in the closing seconds of the first half to score the first touchdown of his high school career in Woodstown’s 28-7 win over Paulsboro.

It couldn’t have unfolded more perfectly. The Red Raiders had just turned the Wolverines away on an end zone interception, but defensive end Corbin Walz broke in and stripped Paulsboro quarterback Roman Onorato. The ball never hit the ground. It landed right in Carter’s hands and the defensive tackle took off for the goal line.

Carter would often joke with his linemates about scoring a touchdown, but in reality he thought the only way he’d ever get close to scoring in a high school game was by getting in on a safety, but he checked all the boxes on the elements that concerned him once the ball landed in his hands. He did have a front-row seat when senior DL Shawn Gerrity returned a fumble for a touchdown in a scrimmage last year against Camden.

“Earlier in the game Bump almost picked off a screen and would’ve had a touchdown there, too,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “He just tipped it and couldn’t come down with it and we were like ‘aw, he’s so close to scoring a defensive touchdown’ and then he comes away with one at the end of the half.

“It’s huge for the whole defensive line unit. I tell those guys from Day One we have to be the hardest workers on the field and we have to set the tone every game. We literally did that drill two days ago and it was textbook execution that came to life today on the field. It was pretty neat to see that and for Bump to get that, he’s just a great kid for that ball to bounce the right way into his hands.”

Woodstown fans celebrate as lineman Bump Carter (71) carries the fumble he recovered across the goal line for a Wolverines’ touchdown at Paulsboro. Top photo, the players celebrate with him in the end zone. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)

Covering the 12 yards to the end zone he said felt “like I was running on air.” Once he got in to extend the Wolverines’ lead to 21-0, he was mobbed by his teammates. As he passed Adams coming off the field there might have been a side-eye suggestion about having him help out the running backs until James Hill returns to that side of the ball in a couple weeks.

“It was great,” Wolverines running back Bryce Belinfanti said. “I’ve been waiting for it all year, really, and I watched it happen right in front of my eyes (from his outside linebacker spot). We were all hyped.”

A lot of Wolverines were having fun. Quarterback Max Webb ran for 45 yards and a 1-yard touchdown that capped a 96-yard drive and passed for 57 yards. Belinfanti rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard burst in the fourth quarter with moves that had folks comparing him to Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher due to return from knee surgery next week.

“I came down and James gave me a high-five and I was like ‘I looked like No. 22 out there,’” Belanfanti said.

It was the second game in a row Belinfanti proved to be reliable option in the running game as the Wolverines wait for the return of Hill. He had 132 yards and two touchdown in the season opener against Haddon Heights.

“I know we only have two running backs right now, me and Alex Torres,” Belinfanti said. “We knew we had to step up and we knew that we could and we were the guys to do it. A lot of the fans and people were nervous about not having James but the team knew what we had to do the first couple weeks and we did it and continue to do it.”

Woodstown 28, Paulsboro 7

Woodstown (2-0)71470 –28
Paulsboro (0-2)0007 –7

Scoring plays
W – Bryce Belinfanti 6 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Max Webb 1 run (Jake Ware kick)
W – Walter Carter 12 fumble recovery (Jake Ware kick)
W – Bryce Belinfanti 67 run (Jake Ware kick)
P – Sharif Green 43 pass from Roman Onorato (PAT kick)

Bryce Belinfanti led the Woodstown running game for the second week in a row, this time going for a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns. In the last two weeks he has rushed for 312 yards (Photo by Ellen Sickler)

Shutout by the shore

Schalick hits the road for first time, shuts out Wildwood; Cougars sit 3-0 for first time since 2016

HORIZON DIVISION SCORES
Schalick 25, Wildwood 0
Riverside 59, Lindenwold 0
Bishop Eustace 36, Gloucester Catholic 0 (Sat.)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WILDWOOD – Schalick went on the road for the first time this season looking to find a complete game. The offense got closer but still has a little work to do, but the defense played what coach Mike Wilson called its best game in his four years with the program.

Schalick 25,
Wildwood 0
NEXT: vs. Riverside,
Friday, 7 p.m.

The Cougars posted their first shutout of the season and fifth in Wilson’s four years as their coach, 25-0, over Wildwood.

It was their first shutout since last October, when they blanked Bishop Eustace 52-0, and their first shutout on the road since last Sept. 30 (50-0 at Lindenwold). It was their sixth shutout in the series they now lead 15-1.

They held Wildwood to 89 yards of net offense. Riley Papiano had a team-high 5.5 tackles and Jermaine Loney had 4.5 tackles and a sack.

“The defense played amazing tonight, probably the best defensive game since I’ve been here,” Wilson said. “The kids executed the game plan flawlessly.

“We contained No. 2, Junior Hans, that quarterback who’s the real deal. He probably had maybe two meaningful scrambles. We kept him in the pocket. We defended their passing game very well. We stopped the run. We played well all game. The kids did amazing. Tonight they did their job; they trusted everybody. Honestly, they executed as well as you could draw it up on the board.”

The defense collected a pair of takeaways, including an interception by Jake Siedlecki to set up the first of Reggie Allen’s three touchdowns. The pick came early in the second quarter, shortly after the Cougars misfired on a fourth-and-goal pass from the 4.

Levi Feeney-Childers scored the Cougars’ other touchdown. Allen finished with 144 yards rushing on 25 carries and Feeney-Childers had 103 yards on 12 carries.

The Cougars led only 7-0 at halftime, then put up more points in the second half they had in either of their previous two games.

“Offensively, it’s the same problem as the first two games,” Wilson said. “We look great in one drive and then we sputter the next drive. The offense is befuddling me right now. We’ve got to clean it up.”

The win was their third straight to open the season and left them 3-0 for the first time since 2016.

Schalick 25, Wildwood 0

SCHAL (25)WWOOD (0)
161st Downs4
43-237Rushes-yds21-57
2-6-0Passes5-19-2
18Passing32
0-0Fumbles-lost0-0
2-27.5Punts-avgNA
4-59Penalties-yds9-67
Schalick (3-0)07612 –25
Wildwood (1-1)0000 –0

Scoring plays
S – Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick)
S – Reggie Allen 6 run (run failed)
S – Reggie Allen 8 run (kick failed)
S – Levi Feeney-Childers 17 run (pass failed)

Cover photo: Riley Papiano gets in position to make a tackle in Schalick’s game with Pitman two weeks ago. Papiano was the Cougars’ leading tackler in their shutout of Wildwood Friday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)

Salem still searching

Rams fall to 0-3 after losing at Pleasantville

DIAMOND DIVISION SCORES
Pleasantville 35, Salem 6
Woodbury 42, Penns Grove 6 (Sat.)
Woodstown 28, Paulsboro 7 (Sat.)

PLEASANTVILLE — Salem’s search for its first victory under coach Danny Mendoza continued Friday night after the Rams fell to Pleasantville 35-6.

The Rams fell to 0-3. The last time they were 0-3 and lost three in a row was 2012.

This story will be updated.

Pleasantville 35, Salem 6

Salem (0-3)6
Pleasantville (2-1)35

Reversal of fortunes

After an impressive opening night, Pennsville falls flat in home opener, losing to Lower Cape May

ROYAL DIVISION SCORES
Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7
Cumberland 6, Pitman 0
Collingswood 19, Gateway 14

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – A rousing win in the season opener had the Pennsville football team brimming with confidence and feeling pretty good about the season ahead. But those good vibes didn’t carry over to their home opener.

Lower Cape May 28,
Pennsville 7
NEXT: vs. Gateway,
Friday, 7 p.m.

In a time frame when tradition says teams make their most improvement, the Eagles fell flat against a much better team than they faced the week before and lost to Lower Cape May 28-7 Friday night in Lou D’Angelo Stadium.

“I think the whole team is sad,” said Malik Rehmer, a junior receiver who scored the Eagles’ only touchdown. “We came off a big win last week high and mighty and then we just get wrecked right now.

“This team (the Capers) came in with more heart. They were more conditioned. They just outworked us.”

The Eagles (1-1) allowed their visitors too many big-yardage plays in the first half while falling behind 21-7. Their offense, meanwhile, managed only 147 net yards total and just 43 on the ground.

Sky Eppes had 53 yards rushing on 20 carries. Rehmer caught six passes for 41 yards, including his 4-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter on a route he hadn’t run before this year to get the Eagles within 14-7.

Lower Cape May’s Isaiah Wing was the game’s leading rusher with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Impressive receiver Braswell Thomas caught four passes for 78 yards and had an interception on defense.

The Capers (2-1) scored on three of their first four possessions and were approaching the 10 on their final drive when the half ended. Of their first 13 plays on offense, seven went for 10 yards or more and two others went for at least eight. They had three more in a row on their third scoring drive of the half.

“We were flat,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We just didn’t come ready to play and they did and that was the big difference. They’re a good football team and against a good football team if you don’t come ready to play and play every play that’s what happens.

“Man for man they beat us up tonight. It’s a combination of us being flat and just not executing. We just didn’t come ready to play tonight. It was definitely disappointing. I had much higher expectations for us.”

The Eagles did much better in the second half, defensively at least, giving up only 86 yards and one touchdown after halftime. But it was hard to take solace in that when the offense continued to struggle, mustering only 71 yards in the second half.

“We played better defensively, but it’s such a small school, everyone playing both ways, you hope that carries over so it’s hard to be happy about one when we struggled some much on the other,” Healy said.

Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7

LCMPMHS
181st Downs11
32-217Rushes-yards31-43
10-18-1Passes9-25-1
124Passing yards104
0-0Fumbles-lost0-0
4-36.5Punts-avg3-31.3
14-120Penalties-yards3-35
Lower Cape May (2-1)14770 –28
Pennsville (1-1)0700 –7

Scoring plays
LCM – Isaiah Wing 12 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:52 1Q
LCM – Logan Haggerty 1 run (Dennis Serra kick), 4:23 1Q
P – Malik Rehmer 4 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 8:35 2Q
LCM – Hunter Ray 25 run (Dennis Serra kick), 3:12 2Q
LCM – Isaiah Wing 24 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:55 3Q

Lower Cape May’s A.J. King (40) wags his finger at Pennsville’s Hayden Sherman (6) as if to say “Not today” during Friday night’s game. (Photo by Lorraine Jenkins)





Division play begins

All 5 Salem County football teams in action this weekend, but Pennsville only one playing at home; Woodstown’s Hill cleared for full contact

SALEM COUNTY GAMES
Friday’s games
Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – The excessive heat this week has impacted the things Pennsville wanted to get done in the run up to Friday night’s football game with Lower Cape May, but Eagles coach Mike Healy is confident everything is in place for what really is an important early-season game.

The Eagles open their WJFL Royal Division schedule with their home opener. In a division that’s not likely to get more than one team in the playoffs, getting off to a good start in the division is important. Lower Cape May lost one division game in a 6-2 regular season last year and didn’t make it.

“It’s huge from that aspect, if we want to be in that conversation at the end of the year,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “The short term goal is to go 1-0 each week, any coach is going to say that, but long term, you win your first division game and now you’re in that battle all season long and your destiny is in your hands. Obviously it’s a long season, a lot of things can happen, but it feels a lot better when you’re in control of things.

“Division winners are getting in the playoffs, so if we want to accomplish our long term goals then we have to take care of business on Friday. Obviously other things can happen, but it’s better to take care of the division and not have to worry about that.”

The Eagles are 1-0 for the third time in four years. They won their season opener last year, but didn’t win another game the rest of the season. This year, they’re a lot more settled in, showed to be more sound in their technique in the opener and are just more confident going forward. The last time they were 2-0 was 2020 – the last time they beat the Tigers.

“Definitely feeling more confident than we did last year just based on how we played,” Healy said. “Every team makes mistakes during a game, but we didn’t have huge gaping issues that were apparent to us that we’re trying to cover up.

“I feel like we did a very good job last week; obviously, I was happy. It’s a different team this week. They’re 1-1, so they won a game this year. We’ve got to step up to that and I think if we play the way we can play – we want to be confident, but not overconfident – I think the kids are feeling we’re going in the right direction.”

Like all the teams in this part of the state, the Eagles have hit a few speed bumps this week because of the weather, juggling practice schedules to accommodate high temperatures and heat index. As recently as Wednesday they had to wait until the evening to get outside and then they had to start without pads.

“We definitely have changed what we’ve had to do,” Healy said. “We’re not even really sure what time we’re able to get out each day, so we start with a meeting and then we have to wait until we get the OK from the trainer to go outside.

“We’ve had limited practice time and, really, we just had to kind of pick what are the most important things we need to get done to be ready for the game. Everyone’s at a disadvantage from it, so it really comes down to who can adjust and prepare themselves the best in the limited time they’re going to have.

“Considering the circumstance I think we got in what we need to get in. Would I want more time? Yes, any coach is going to say that, but I think we did a good job as a staff getting in what needed to be put in for the game and I think the kids did a good job adjusting to the schedule and kind of just going with the flow.”

The Eagles are the only Salem County team at home this weekend. It’s the only week this season just one county team plays at home.

SCHALICK (2-0) at WILDWOOD (1-0): The Cougars are off to their best start in six years and are looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 2016 (when they started 6-0) as they open the most favorable stretch of their schedule.

But for all their early-season success, they’re also looking to put together a complete game and it starts with their Horizon Division opener – and first road game – against a Wildwood team Schalick coach Mike Wilson says looks to be one of its best in years.

The Cougars are “close,” Wilson said, but they could be a little sharper. They scored on their opening drive each of their first two games to take the lead, then held on for dear life. Last week against Pitman they opened the game with a flawless 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes, but they weren’t as consistent the rest of the way and needed a bang-bang stop of a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to save the win.

“In hindsight we won two games against two very good teams, two solid playoff teams, both that will make a lot of noise this year, win a lot of games,” Wilson said. “We’ve just got to get better. I know that’s a coaching cliche, but that’s what it comes down to.”

The Cougars ran the table in their division last year and have won six straight division games. Of the seven games remaining on the schedule the Cougars beat six of them a year ago and the one they didn’t is 0-2 this season and lost to Wildwood last week.

Schalick leads the series with Wildwood 14-1 and have won the last 10 in a row. Last year’s 29-12 win was the closest game of the winning streak.

SALEM (0-2) at PLEASANTVILLE (1-1): The Rams go into their third game under new coach Danny Mendoza looking to put it all together. In their first game the offense and special teams held their own but the defense let them down. Last week it was just the opposite.

More than anything, they need to be sharper in the second half. In the opener they trailed 14-13 midway through the third quarter, then got outscored 28-6. Last week against Camden, a Group III state semifinalist last year, one bad bust on a pass coverage late in the second quarter led to a touchdown and a 7-0 halftime deficit, but they were swamped 27-0 after halftime.

“We competed, we just made really, really bad mistakes at the really wrong times,” Mendoza said. “Against teams with that size and those kind of guys you have to be, not perfect, but you got to be definitely teed in on a different level to be able to take that game from them.

“(What they did in the first half) I’m proud of them, but we have to sustain it. We can’t just be a first-half football team. That’s what we’re working on, understanding how to be a second-half football team … We’ve got to clean everything up. This is a big week for us.”

Salem is scheduled to open division play next week against Penns Grove, but a developing non-football related issue may impact the venue of the game. It is Salem’s home game, but because of the Rams’ on-going stadium project, it was moved to Penns Grove and then last week was moved back to Salem’s Walnut Street Field for what would be the final high school game played there.

But safety concerns around the game make playing it there an open question. Salem police declined to comment, deferring to the high school. Salem High officials call it an “ongoing situation” and continue to collect information. Penns Grove remains willing to host the game.

Saturday’s games

WOODSTOWN (1-0) at PAULSBORO (0-1): The Wolverines have had this game circled on their calendar for nine months, ever since the Red Raiders knocked them out of the playoffs.

They blanked Paulsboro during the regular season, but the script flipped in the higher-staked rematch. If that game taught them anything, it was the importance of being sharp and winning the turnover battle, lessons they’re sure to recall when they hit the field Saturday.

“It’s been something we’ve talked about since Day One, coming up short in that game and how well they played and executed and we didn’t,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “It’s been a big focus … on doing our job, executing and finishing.”

The Wolverines got good news Wednesday when running back James Hill was cleared to return to full contact practice. Hill had been rehabbing off-season knee surgery and was cleared to return to football without contact last month.

He was expected to get full clearance Sept. 13, but his recent evaluation came in time to fulfill his six full practice requirement to be available for Game 3 next week at Deptford. He practiced Wednesday in shoulder pads and helmets because of the heat and Adams said “he looked good, he’s moving around good” and is “itching” to get back to full duty.

When Hill does play, he’ll probably start out at outside linebacker and maybe get in the mix at receiver before transitioning into the backfield. He’s a 3,000-yard career rusher.

PENNS GROVE (0-2) at WOODBURY (1-0): The Red Devils take a different approach and a lot of motivation into their first road game of the year and Diamond Division opener against the defending Group I state champions.

For the first two weeks, the emphasis was ball security and eliminating turnovers, but the Red Devils had 13 in the first two losses (nine lost fumbles) and are minus-9 in turnover ratio. Four of the turnovers have been inside their opponents 30 – two after sizeable gains – and seven inside the 40. That doesn’t count a fourth-down stop inside the 15.

Opponents have turned five of the takeaways into touchdowns, either directly on the return or on the ensuing possession. The Red Devils have converted two of their takeaways into touchdowns, including  their only score against Pleasantville, and that’s the messaging going forward.

“Maybe I ought to change my emphasis from ball security to winning the turnover battle,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “We scored off our turnover so I think the key emphasis for me is turnovers lead to points and if we’re going to turn the ball over the other team is going to score more points than us. We need to get more turnovers and we need to protect the ball.

“I think we played better last week. Our defense can be pretty good. We cut down on the penalties, we played more disciplined, we limited big plays, but, again, we have to protect the football. We’re not good enough on offense to just waste possession and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

The Red Devils have plenty of motivation to break into the win column in this one. Woodbury has knocked them out of the playoffs each of the last two years and on a lesser scale the Thundering Herd rallied from a 12-0 deficit to beat them in the finals of the Taliaferro Foundation 7-on-7 tournament in June.

Photo credit: Lorraine Jenkins


This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Sept. 5-9

Sept. 5
SCRIMMAGES
GIRLS SOCCER
Bridgeton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
Timber Creek at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester City at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton, 4 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown at St. Joseph Academy, 9 a.m.
Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:30 p.m.
Highland Regional at Salem, 4 p.m.
Millville at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

REGULAR SEASON
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Sept. 6
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at West Deptford, 4 p.m.

Sept. 7
FIELD HOCKEY
Clayton at Salem, 4 p.m.
Gloucester Catholic at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pittman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 8
FOOTBALL
Salem at Pleasantville, 6 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 6 p.m.
Lower Cape May Regional at Pennsville, 7 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Gateway, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.

Sept. 9
FOOTBALL
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 10:30 a.m.
Woodstown at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Schalick, 10 a.m.

Photo credit: Heather Papiano

Fond farewell

Former Salem coach returns with Camden and gets out with a win in the next-to-last game on his former field

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Rob Hinson has some nice memories of his one year playing on Walnut Street Field. He made a final one Saturday in the last time he’s going to play on it.

Hinson was the head coach at Salem for only one break-even year (2005) that started with an upset of a defending state champion but was part of the fabric that made the field historic. He coaches Camden now and in the next to last game to be played on the Rams’ longtime off-campus facility, his Panthers came in and gave their coach a 34-0 victory.

Camden 34, Salem 0
NEXT: at Pleasantville,
Friday, 7 p.m.

“That’s significant, man, because my year here the previous coach, Montrey (Wright), played for me and he’s like a son,” said Hinson, who still lives in Carney’s Point. “When we got the schedule last year I was like it’s going to be great to go back to Salem and coach against Montrey on that field. But obviously it didn’t work out that way.

“Living in Salem County, we would come down here and watch games. I love the people in Salem. They have a lot of passion, very similar to the people in Camden; they love their Rams. So coming here and getting a win regardless of the score is a big deal. It’s pretty good to be here.”

The Panthers (1-1) parlayed three big scoring plays — one in each phase of the game — and Salem’s inability to create offense to win the next last high school game expected to be played at The Nut.

The game originally was scheduled for Wilmington’s Abissinio Stadium as part of the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic, but conflicts at the site forced the teams to pull out. It was Salem’s home game, but they couldn’t play there because the Rams’ on-campus stadium was still under construction. And they couldn’t play at Camden, because the Panthers’ stadium was still undergoing renovations as well.

The Rams had played at Walnut Street for decades and the old-timers can remember times when fans ringed the fences many times deep to watch the game, but they ended that relationship at the end of last season when the bleachers fell into disrepair and they started work on an on-campus stadium. The City of Salem had been working to bring Walnut Street back for the youth teams and earlier this week confirmed to the Rams the venue would be ready with limitations for Saturday’s game.

The field was ready, the bleachers were occupied and the public address system was operational. There was no power to the scoreboard, so the official timing was kept on the field. Beyond that, it was business as usual.

The Rams will use the field one last time in two weeks when they host Penns Grove. Their stadium is expected to be ready for their Oct. 7 game with Paulsboro.

Camden’s Braheem Long will take away fond memories of the field, too. His late father used to live in Salem and the senior defensive back remembers playing on the field growing up. He came back Saturday as a Syracuse commitment to block a punt, return the second half kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and – his personal favorite – return an interception 40 yards for the game’s final score.

“This is actually the field I grew up on, so I decided to play real hard; I did it for him,” Long said. “It was definitely special. People usually don’t throw my way, so when they threw my way, I made it count.”

It wasn’t such a good experience for the Rams. Salem coach Danny Mendoza said if he could put last week’s offense with this week’s defense they could have something to build on, but they just made too many mistakes.

With the exception of one coverage bust on fourth down that cost them a touchdown in the first half and tiring in the second half, the defense held up its end. They held the Panthers to 38 yards rushing and 126 yards total in the first half and turned them

The offense, however, could never make any headway against Camden’s imposing defensive presence. They barely had over 100 net yards — 71 of it came on two Ramaji Bundy pass completions — and through three quarters they were held to negative rushing yardage.

Their deepest penetration into Camden territory was the 29 (on the first play of the second quarter) and that snap produced an interception. It didn’t help three starters went down in the first quarter. 

Special teams were equally problematic. The Rams (0-2) had two punts blocked, the ones they did get away didn’t go far, and they had that kickoff return by Long.

“You’re not going to win any games with that, no matter how good you play,” Mendoza said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board, do some soul searching and change some things offensively and see what’s the best package for us.

“We’ve got have the energy in all three phases of the game. If we can ever get all three phases relatively similar production-wise, I think we’ll be able to pick it up. We’ve got to fix some things.”

Camden 34, Salem 0

CAM (34)SAL (0)
131st Downs5
27-151Rushes-yds26-18
11-24-0Passes7-18-2
114Passing yds89
0-0Fumbles-lost1-0
1-24.0Punts-avg7-14.0
9-75Penalties-avg5-35
Camden (1-1)071314 –34
Salem (0-2)0000 –0

Scoring plays
C – D’hani Cobbs 47 pass from Jaythan Candelario (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 4:14 2Q
C – Braheem Long 89 kickoff return (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 11:38 3Q
C – Judah Anthony 11 run (kick failed), 1:46 3Q
C – Judah Anthony 17 run (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 6:24 4Q
C – Braheem Long 40 interception return (Jah’Rodd Hamilton kick), 4:45 4Q

Schalick holds on

Cougars once again ‘found a way’ to win, turning back late 2-point conversion to edge Pitman, remain undefeated

SALEM COUNTY GAMES
Friday’s game
Schalick 14, Pitman 13
Saturday’s game
Camden at Salem, noon

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Nobody pays attention to a two-point conversion until it matters. Oh, did it matter Friday night.

Schalick senior safety Jake Siedlecki went over Pitman tight end Stephen Devanney to knock down a go-ahead 2-point try with 1:24 to play to preserve the Cougars’ 14-13 win and unbeaten on the season.

Schalick 14,
Pitman 13
NEXT: Schalick
at Wildwood,
Friday, 6 p.m.

It was 6-foot-1 against 6-2 defending running back Trey Tinges’ jump pass for the lead and Siedlecki, the smaller of the two, went over the top to come out on top. The Panthers set up the potential game-winning play when Tinges pushed in from the 1 after Siedlecki had gotten beaten on a pass to Devanney on fourth-and-15 the play before.

“The play before I messed up, but I was able to make up for it, thank God,” Siedlecki said. “On that last play we were in man coverage and once I saw (Devanney) put his head up I knew it was going to be a pass. I got my hand in front and executed the play.

“I didn’t have my eyes in the backfield, so I honestly don’t know (it was going to be a Tim Tebow jump pass), I just had my eyes on my man and it went in my favor. I’m glad we got the win.”

Earlier in the quarter, in a scenario eerily similar to last week’s game with Gloucester City, the Cougars stopped Pitman quarterback Kyle Kubat on fourth-and-1 from the 4 to maintain a 14-7 lead. R.J. Piernikoski, Reggie Allen and Levi Freeney-Childers led the charge that stopped Kubat about eight inches from the line to gain. A week ago, the defensive line stuffed Gloucester City quarterback Jake Seibert twice from the 1 to keep him the Lions of the end zone.

And just like last week, the Cougars’ offense couldn’t move ball out and Kenai Simmons had to punt from his end zone. This week, he got off a high punt that took a Schalick bounce and set the Panthers up just short of midfield. 

Pitman drove down to score, just like Gloucester City did, to tighten the game, but this time Schalick and Siedlecki denied the extra point, preventing the need for the Cougars to put together a winning drive into the final minute.

Pitman coach Chris Thomas said there was no doubt he was going for the win in that situation. The play was a pass all the way.

“We had something for the situation, something we felt good about and that decision was made a long time ago,” he said. “We knew on the road, against a team that’s very, very good, a playoff team like Schalick, (if) the situation presents itself where we have a chance to win the game with that play with about a minute and a half left, on the road, especially, no question we’re going for that.

“It might not have worked out, (but) I’d still make the call. I need to make a better play call in that situation. You’ve got to give credit to them. They played it very well.”

The conversion try was a bang-bang play in the end zone and neither team’s head coach could say definitively if they thought there was pass interference on it. Siedlecki was behind Devanney in man coverage but said he got his hand in while breaking up the pass.

Pitman’s Trey Tinges (4) brings down Schalick quarterback Kenai Simmons after a short gain. Top photo: Schalick’s Jake Siedlecki (2) saved the Cougars’ victory by knocking down the potential go-ahead two-point conversion in the end zone. (Photos by Heather Papiano)

The Cougars improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2017 with their second nailbiter in as many weeks, but they were far from satisfied with the performance. Even the hero of the night, Siedlecki, agreed “that’s not how we should win a game.”

They put together a flawless 74-yard drive that consumed nearly nine minutes to start the game, capped by Kenai Simmons’ 2-yard run to open the scoring, but they didn’t do much else offensively after that. Allen scored on a 2-yard run with 29 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 14-7 halftime lead, but in the second half they had only 46 yards of net offense.

Outside of their two scoring drives, they had only 57 more yards. Allen, who did a lot of the heavy lifting on the opening drive, finished with 67 yards rushing. Tinges had 109 yards rushing for Pitman, 82 in the second half, 50 in the fourth quarter.

“We found a way to win, I give the kids credit for that; however, we deserved to lose tonight,” Schalick coach Mike Wilson said. “We did not play well. We were not focused. We had no energy from the get-go. We talked to them all week about it. They laid a duck tonight and I told them. Not happy.

“When we had to dig down deep, we did, but we should have never got to that point … We are our own worst enemies. Like tonight on offense, we stopped ourselves; they never stopped us. And that’s the frustrating part, we can’t put together a complete game. So, we’ve got to do a little searching of souls this week.”

The Cougars might not be happy with the first two games, but there are outside interests that believe, especially after they won the opener, they have a real chance to run the table.

The rest of their schedule appears favorable. Of the seven teams remaining on the schedule, the Cougars beat six of them a year ago and the one they didn’t is 0-2 this season.

They’re not listening.

“In all honesty, I understand from an outside perspective, but I’m a week-to-week guy,” Wilson said. “I only look at scout film for somebody else when the game’s over with. We’ve got to win every week and at the end if you win them all, you win them all, but it’s a week by week thing.”

NOTES: Friday’s game was the closest in the series since 1985, the only other one-point game they’ve played (20-19 Schalick) … Each team had only one possession in the first and third quarters … The Cougars have won 13 of the last 14 games played between the teams … The last time they were 3-0 was 2016, when they started the season 6-0.

Schalick 14, Pitman 13

PIT (13)SCH (14)
151st Downs11
33-182Rushes-yds34-133
6-13-0Passes4-5-0
64Passing yds61
1-0Fumbles-lost0-0
2-32.0Punts-avg2-39.0
4-25Penalties-yds5-35
Pitman (0-1)0706 –13
Schalick (2-0)7700 –14

Scoring plays
S – Kenai Simmons 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 3:19 1Q
P – Chase Rollins 2 run (Hudson Rue kick), 9:39 2Q
S – Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick), 0:29 2Q
P – Trey Tinges 1 run (pass failed), 1:14 4Q

Eagles soar in opener

Pennsville plays complete game, erupts for 33 points in second quarter, routs Lindenwold

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

LINDENWOLD – It’s been a couple years since Pennsville put together as complete a game as it did in its opener Thursday night. It may never have had a more prodigious second quarter.

The Eagles dominated in all three phases and erupted for 33 points in the second quarter to open their season with a 49-6 rout of Lindenwold.

Pennsville 49,
Lindenwold 6
NEXT: vs. L. Cape May,
Friday, 7 p.m.

“Obviously we’re excited because we played a full game how we’re capable of doing; that we can show up and do what’s expected from the first snap to the last snap,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “Even our younger kids when they were in at the end of the game, they still kept playing, kept moving the ball, played well defensively. The entire program I was happy with.

“It’s the first time in a couple years I really felt like we played a full game start to finish and, more importantly, didn’t have any letdown at any point during the game.”

Their first two drives of the game netted in a field goal and a fumble out of the end zone trying to score for a touchback. After that, they were relentless.

Sky Eppes rushed for 118 yards and four touchdowns and Rylan Hardy rushed for 60 yards and two scores. Quarterback Robbie McDade completed 4-of-6 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown to Malik Rehmer. Rehmer caught three balls for 88 yards.

The Eagles scored their 33 points in the second quarter in a span of about 10 minutes. Eppes scored the first three touchdowns and Hardy scored the last two. The first four came over a stretch of about four minutes.

“We’re setting the tone early and we’re going to finish the same way, letting everybody know we’re different this year and we’re not letting up any time soon,” Eppes said. “Before the game when we’re breaking it down I told everybody that we’re going to try to break records this year and they stepped up and tried to make it happen.”

The Eagles play their home opener next Friday against Lower Cape May looking to go 2-0 for the first time since 2020.

The loss was Lindenwold’s 16th in a row going back to 2021. Pennsville won last year’s game 34-26, but the Lions were driving for a potential game-tying score when time expired.

Pennsville 49, Lindenwold 6

Pennsville (1-0)93370 –49
Lindenwold (0-2)0006 –6

Scoring plays
P – Jackson Leino 34 FG, 7:40 1Q
P – Malik Rehmer 43 pass from Robbie McDade (PAT failed), 2:36 1Q
P – Sky Eppes 48 run (PAT failed), 11:36 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 1 run (Jackson Leino kick), 10:34 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 14 run (PAT failed), 7:53 2Q
P – Rylan Hardy 20 run (Jackson Leino kick), 7:30 2Q
P – Rylan Hardy 20 run (Jackson Leino kick), 1:49 2Q
P – Sky Eppes 9 run (Jackson Leino kick), 5:09 3Q
L – Denny 1 run (pass failed), 5:15 4Q